Benchmade drew up the Bugout with the explicit purpose of making a lightweight yet sturdy knife for those outdoorsmen who count every ounce they carry. The company leveraged the talents of its entire production arm to balance weight-savings with strength. “It started with our Product Line Team and Design Engineering Team finding every way to shave weight off the knife, but still have plenty of blade for the toughest of tasks,” says Benchmade’s Derrick Lau. “Of course it’s strong and reliable.”

Knife enthusiasts will be familiar the usual tricks for saving weight. Manufacturers can skeletonize the handle, utilize lightweight composites like Grivory or FRN, or implement a thinner blade for less mass. Benchmade checked all of these boxes but went even further in their pursuit of the lightest mid-size folder possible. “Weight saving efforts can be seen in the mini deep carry pocket clip, titanium DLC coated AXIS® lock, Grivory handles, and aluminum thumb lugs,” Lau explains. “All of these add up to a 1.85 oz knife that feels good in the hand and is incredibly functional.”

The Bugout is also a tribute to the Axis Lock itself. Benchmade’s signature locking mechanism doesn’t need much real estate to operate. Even with its small footprint, it brings the muscle, able to withstand the rigors and abuse of outdoors cutting. It’s the perfect lightweight folder lock. The Bugout platform showcases one of the knife world’s favorite locks at the top of its game.

Hitting that incredible 1.85 oz. number makes the Bugout the lightest folder in Benchmade’s Blue Class. Even with a 3.25-inch S30V blade, it comes in at a lower weight than smaller folders like the Valet or even the Proper. Lau tells us he considers the Bugout “one our most exciting releases of 2017.” And he’s not alone. Although designed to cater to a specific sub-market it turns out the affordable, durable, and useful Bugout had a universal appeal. “This knife was definitely a team effort to make it the success it has been.”

Visit KnifeNews.com tomorrow to find out the winner of the KnifeNews Dealers’ Choice Award for Most Innovative New Knife 2017 (See the nominees below).

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